Chapter 18

The moment the door closed behind me, the silence was deafening.

No footsteps echoing after me. No soft voice asking me to stay. No warmth of her presence pulling me back in. Just the chill of regret sinking into my bones like ice water.

Axle hadn’t said a word since I left her apartment. It was like he’d turned his back on me completely. Not a growl. Not a snarl. Not even that low rumble of disapproval he always gives when I do something he doesn’t like. Nothing.

And that silence from him hurt more than I expected. Because it wasn’t just disappointment—it was heartbreak.

I knew the second I walked away from her I was making the wrong choice. Hell, I felt it in the way my chest clenched like I’d torn out my own damn heart and left it behind. But I’d convinced myself I was doing the right thing. That I was protecting her. That maybe if I gave her space, she’d be safer… from me, from this world she doesn’t even know exists yet.

But every step away from her had felt like a betrayal.

I sat down on the edge of my bed, elbows braced against my knees, head in my hands. My skin still held the scent of her—sweet, like wildflowers and rain. Her laugh echoed in my ears like it was stitched into the very fabric of who I am now. And the way she had looked at me, right before I left… like I mattered. Like I was worth something. Like she trusted me.

And I left her.

I left her after giving her nothing but questions and confusion. After kissing her like she meant everything to me—and God, she does—and then walking away like a coward. I should’ve stayed. I should’ve been honest. But how do you tell someone that their entire life is about to change? That you’re not just a man who wants her, but something… more. Something terrifying. Something she didn’t choose.

That’s why I left the pendant.

The small silver crescent moon charm was more than just a gift—it was a part of me. A symbol of the truth that I couldn’t yet say. A promise that I’d always protect her, even if she didn’t understand why yet. And the letter… it was everything I could say without shattering the fragile line between us.

But it wasn’t enough.

I stood and began pacing, each movement sharp with restless energy. My wolf was pacing too, in that silent, tortured way that told me he was barely holding himself back from taking over and running back to her. I could feel it—his pain. His fury. His loneliness.

She’s ours.

That was the last thing Axle had said before falling into that brooding silence.

And he was right. She is. In every way that matters. My mate. My heart. My reason.

I ran a hand through my hair, dragging it back as frustration surged through me.

“What the fuck did I do?” I muttered to the empty room. “What the hell did I just do?”

Leaving her hadn’t protected her. It had just hurt her. Hurt both of us.

I knew she’d find the letter by now. I could picture it—her fingers unfolding the paper, her eyes scanning every word, trying to make sense of what I’d written. I had poured out just enough emotion to keep from overwhelming her. I’d told her I needed space to figure things out. That she was special. That she wasn’t alone. That I cared. But I hadn’t told her everything. I hadn’t told her the truth.

Because how do you explain that you’re a wolf shifter destined to love one woman for the rest of your life?

How do you explain that the moment you touched her, the bond began to form—raw, primal, eternal?

I could still feel the last trace of her warmth on my skin, like her soul had branded itself into me. No distance could wash that away. No silence could drown it out.

I finally collapsed back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The ache in my chest was unbearable. A constant thrum of pain that only grew louder the longer I stayed away from her.

Axle still didn’t speak, but I could feel him—curled up in the back of my mind like a wounded animal, licking his wounds and refusing to come out.

“I know,” I whispered, the words barely a breath. “I know we shouldn’t have left her. I know.”

But I didn’t know how to fix it.

Not yet.

Because if I went back now, she’d ask for answers. And I’d owe her all of them.

Not just the easy ones.

The truth about who I was. About the pack. About what it meant to be mated. About the fact that from the moment our lips met, she became the center of my universe.

And if she rejected it all—if she rejected me—I wasn’t sure if Axle or I could survive that.

But staying away? That might just destroy us, too.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I didn’t even look at it. It wasn’t her. I knew it wouldn’t be. And even if it was, what could I say? Sorry I kissed you like you were mine and then disappeared? Sorry I’m a werewolf and didn’t think you could handle it?

Pathetic.

I covered my face with my hands, breathing in the silence. Drowning in it.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered again, this time to the universe, to Axle, and most of all—to her.

To Audrey.

Because no matter what happens next, one thing is certain.

She has my heart.

And I don’t want it back.